Friday, September 23, 2011

On a conference call yesterday, U.S. Rep Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico State Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, and Democratic Party of New Mexico Chair Javier Gonzales responded to a Republican Hispanic gathering in New Mexico. After the call, they released the following statements:

U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján: “When Jeb Bush and Norm Coleman launched the Hispanic Leadership Network last year, Jeb Bush said Republicans would be ‘incredibly stupid’ to ignore the fastest growing voting bloc in America and that Republicans should ‘tone down’ their rhetoric or else risk alienating it. What Republicans don't get is that it's not about rhetoric, but about reality, and the reality is that Republicans are not fighting for Hispanics, or their priorities."

New Mexico State Representative Antonio “Moe” Maestas: “President Obama’s record is clear -- he’s fighting for the middle class and for a better future for our country. He knows that the success of the United States is intricately tied to Hispanics’ success, and he’s fighting for us all: He expanded access to education for Hispanics, is fighting for the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform, and is continuing to fight to create jobs for the middle class. And no matter how hard Republicans try to convince them otherwise, Hispanics will not be fooled by their façade. It takes more than a network and a trip to New Mexico to prove that you care about Hispanics.

Democratic Party of New Mexico Chair Javier Gonzales: “Instead of offering ideas that would improve the lives of Hispanics, Republicans have embraced the extreme Tea Party agenda that would disproportionately hurt the middle class and Hispanics. Republicans, including those in New Mexico this weekend, are on the wrong side of every single Hispanic priority: jobs, Social Security, education, and health care.

This conference is not a political event, per se, so they probably don't need to file disclosures about who funded this, who might also fund campaigns by Heather Wilson, et all. It would be interesting to see where the money is coming from. But this looks like the Republican Party looking to establish a beach head for what will come next.

Just looking through this family of websites, there is some expertise and organizational heft behind this.